Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-05-20

uep tAn pfoEfysa, .....
dents aud he must see, wO thinkt that moi an
empire, not an autocracy, not limited mon
nrchy, would realize this great IDEAL hut states
United, not welded but fluent, each as perfectly
free to discharge the functions OF statedom by
Securing the liberties and promoting the prog
ress OF its people as IL were the only state
upon the globe, while It was 50 bound 70 all the
other States upon the continent that they could
not exist without her nor she without them.
Plainly this great ideal Is not TO be realized
by one generation but by many. All the eNpc-
riments OF peace and war must be tried before
this great result can be reached. II Is quite
easy 10 perceive how there might bc many who
would see more clearly the value OF the union
than that of constitutional liberty and how
there might be others In whose eyes the union
of States would be to the liberty OF states, as
the casket Is to the crown Jewel u contains OF
the human body to Its spiritual inhabiiant'
Itseems 10 me, fellow citizens, that mere was
the source OF our difficulties and the real cause
OF the Civil War which ragged a quarter Oh
century ago. Nor do see how tliat war coulu
have been avoided. Therefore cannot con-
clude that IL was useless, although II slew my
bow my flrst-bOm. Wherefore i come to-day,
In the presence Of these dead men, men VINO
died and got no human glory by the uyins' 10
ask you and myself whether the outcome ~ to
repay the country and the world for the I'M
mense and precious outlayy
Watching tho progress of events since TIC
war closed, and more and more dispasslOnately
studying the problem, am prepared to an
swer, "Nerily, believe 1t WILL"
The men who fought the battles, the priVntes,
the rank and file, OF whom one hundred ana one
are sleeping near this stately monument, anu
those VINO fought against them who have been
carried for their last rcspOse 10 the cemetery ut
Fort DOnelsOn, were martyrs, every porn
American Of them, aud we nave no right 70
say they Were not sincere and honest, rs we
know they were self-saciihcing martyrs. That
certainly must be the opinion Of our friend
whose design was TO erect this monument 20 the
Unknown Dead Of both sides. They bore wit
ness TO Il truth, each side to u truth.
Fellow citizens, when shall we rise above the
low thought that always when two men lght
each other, they are probably both wrong or
that one is certainly wrOngy That Is not true.
We do not need the fable of the two knights
drawing swords In deadly conflict on the ques-
ton of the color OF shield and finding, after
their fight that both were right, since the shield
was blue, one affirmed, and white as the
other commended. A shield that has two sides
may have two colors, aud be at once DOth whlte
ami blue. II men should go to war because one
part maintained that our planet Is held to ITS
orbit by centripetal, while the other contended
that 1t be held by centrifugal force, would they
not each be wrong, while both were right.
So IL seems 10 me 1t was In our Civil War. IL
would be an error to suppose that the people OF
the South hated the Union. SO far Is that from
being true that one of the causes OF the tempo
rary luminosity Of multitudes OF Southernels to
the North was because they believed that the
North was pursuing course which would de-
strOy Union, knowing themselves 10 he 80 de-
voted to constitutional liberty that they would
=.
which that was not paramount. IL would De
equally erroneous to suppose that the people OF
the North were Indifferent TO constitutional I'D
erty. One of the causes OF their hatred OF the
south was the belief that the South was about
tOdestroy what seemed 10 them the only hope Tor
constitutional liberty in this land. And 50 both
sides appealed to arms, and through four years
Of bitterness and blackness war was wagedon
a prodigiOus scale. IL ended. With what cuntrl-
button to civilZatiOnY this: the world streasury
Of heroism and martyrdon was enriched by inc
a.. uNsIa
the othe: this day, as Il grander people than any
other on the face OF the globe, and each strives
TO surpass the other In devout loyalty to the
Union.
We have learned, and we have taught the
world, that the Union is absolutely worthless
except as preserver OF liberty, and that the
liberty OF the States cannot be preserved with |
out the Union OF the States These two piopO-
sltions embrace the most important and the |
most lofty. POLITICAL generalization reached by
human science.
What powerful things are words! There is
something, there Is much In names. To me II
seems most fortunate that our f0refathers
baptized our country ''rhe United States.n
They gave II name In which packed all that
Is most precious In political philosophy. II we
had been called Columbia or Washington, or
any such name, the progress OF the world
would have been retarded Tor centuries.
Liberty AND Union,' said Daniel Webster;
but that was shown 10 be impracticabe, and
then warwas waged which changed Websters
phrase slightly In ycrbiage but immensely in |
sense, so that our national motto henecforth |
must be, "Liberty IN UniOn," now and forever. |
The thunder and lightning OF our war, fellow
attracted the attention OF the civilized
world. Men everywhere have been studying
II. We have proved ourselves capable fbeing
the beginning OF the Confederation of the world.
We have made II possible for Englshmen \
everywhere TO agitate and discuss the question
of a Federation Ofthose States which have been L
BIttain. We can begin to hope that, following |
such imperial British Federation, some day, IL |
may be a far day, but some day, the world will |
look upon aiUniled states OF Europe. And while |
that Is coming there will be States growing In
Asia and in Africa. When they shall reach
political neutrality-suspicious. there will be United
states ON each continent, and after that the
day of days will dawn, the day ON which,. IN
some earth metropolis, shall be Opened the first
session OF the "Pailiament OF Man."
10 that august consummation the greatest
ever made since the world began
came from the two opposing armies OF our civil
War. And us houses, cities, States, institu-
tiOns OF all kinds among men, have always
owed very much more 10 men whose names
nave been lost than 10 those whose names have
been preserved, so TO the unknown Federal and
dead the world Will always be
greater debtor than TO Grant, 20 Sherman and
70 Meade,or TO thoseother three great generals,
Robert Il. Lee, stonewall jackson ana Albert
sydney Johston.
And you, oh my silent brothers, sleeping I'M
named In this tomb, underthis noble monument,
TOu fought good fight for something much
l
'0urs, and quite as sacred rs your affairs and
'0ur Tires; you fought for ali the fires worth
sindling In any age, you fought for that which
makes the mortal life ofman u worthy vestibule
% human Immortality. And our friend who
hath caused this beautiful monument to rise
On this fair spot, 1t seems TO me has "builded
better than he knew He has expressed his
own manliness and gallant sense of gallantry,
and said that the names OF herOism shall not go
nnacknowledged among men. He has done
more. In days to come, when he and you and
shall be In the camps where these departed
soldiers have pitched their tents, groups of
boys shall stand before this monument and
study Its proportions and read Its eloquent In
cription, and ponder It's meaning, and gather
rom their older friends Its deeper lessons. As
hey learn that men were ready to leave veneer
lble fathers and mothers, beautiful sisters and
weethcarts, dearest children and wives, TO
Ibandon trades and fields, to fOrsake the paths
Il social dalliance and delights, and endure the
lartlships OF camps, OF hospitals, and OF battle
lelds, and to die at last, not only unsung but
and TO do al this because fair Liber
y Is SO beautiful and so sweet; rs they learn
mis-, those boys Will grow into men not all I'M
worthy to be successors OF the blessed dead.
Fellow citizens, we are favored to-day. We
ave lived to see the animOsties of the war died
nut, TO witness famous generals of both armies
marching side by side In the professions Of
ieace, to behold Confederate leaders mourning
Il the death Of generals OF the Federal armies,
md great captains, who led the Union forces,
placing chapets ON the graves OF
heir great opponents. The blood Of the mar
yrs is the seed OF the church, and the blood OF
he patriots is the seed of the State. Cold
hongh those blood seed lie, through winter
ong and drear, they do not wholly die; they
urely reappear. They spring again to make
he land rich and beautiful with those flowers
md fruits which they contain.
And now, fellow citizens, we this day do two
hlngs. We erect monument to the memo
y OF one past generation, and open school Of
for the culture OfherOism In many
TO come. A beauty and bcnedic-
ion, child of patriotic gratitude, parent OF patr
tic heroism, long stand John e. Latham's
lonument 10 the Unknown Confederate Dead.
SOME OF THE LETTERS OF REGRET.